Production postponed due to script woes.

This isn't exactly news, but it's now been confirmed that Spider-Man 4 is, at the moment at least, in some deep spider doo-doo. As in, the Sam Raimi film may miss its May, 2011, release date.

Essentially, word got out that Spidey 4 was on hold when an e-mail was sent out before the holidays to members of the visual effects team stating the same. Finke has apparently been doing some digging since then, and here's what she came up with:

"At that point, it wasn't well known that [Raimi] had huge problems with the script that has run through screenwriters Jamie Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire, and Gary Ross," she reports. "I'm even told Sam Raimi had been very vocal inside Sony that he 'hated' it. Now Raimi and Sony are anxiously waiting for still another version from screenwriter Alvin Sargent, who wrote Spidey 2 & 3 and is married to Spidey franchise producer Laura Ziskin."

A Sony insider tells Finke that the film's planned May 11, 2011 release date is "unlikely" to be made. That said, apparently the studio still has hopes of getting the film out that summer, possibly in July of 2011. But the wallcrawler's franchise has always held the precious early May date, and now the other studios are surely licking their chops at the prospect of jumping into it in Sony's place.

Finke also confirms that Raimi wants John Malkovich to play the villain, presumably the Vulture. As for Anne Hathaway, who was rumored to be up for either the Black Cat or a female Vulture role? "I'm not so sure we're going in that direction," another insider tells the reporter.

And lastly, apparently the Spidey 4 in 3-D rumors may be playing into this all as well… Stay tuned for more as we hear it!

The world's first geriatric supervillain -- the Vulture.